What's in a Domain Name?
Your domain name is critical intellectual property and a valuable asset-a key element that can work for or against your site right from the get-go. Choosing the name (like most important things) is not as simple as one might think-a fun late-night brainstorming session with lots of drinks flowing will not cut it here. This decision demands very careful planning.
Domain names like klixxx.com are the most obvious feature of the Internet
Domain Name System (DNS) that uniquely identifies each server computer on the network. Actually, domain names are just user-friendly handles for the more basic identifiers--IP (Internet Protocol) Addresses--which are numbers (like 340.256.127.38). Surfers prefer memorable words, computers (and engineers) are more comfortable with numbers. When a browser converts a domain name to the corresponding IP Address of the site's server, it's "resolving" the domain name.
In the Americas and Africa, IP Addresses are issued and sold in large blocks by ARIN, the American Registry of Internet Numbers (www.arin.net). Companies called registrars sell domain names. Some registrars are also responsible for maintaining the master database ("registry") of all domain names issued for one or more top level domains (TLD). ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (www.icann.org) maintains a database of the accredited registrars and basically regulates them.
One of the best sources for current news and statistics on the domain name industry is State of the Domain (www.sotd.info). This site offers comprehensive data and reporting, including trend analysis and editorial coverage of the industry, as well as the quarterly State of the Domain publication and monthly updates on the zone file counts.
A registrar will sell you ("lease" would be more accurate, since the fee is annual) any domain name you like, so long as it's not already registered. Well, almost any domain name you like-it can't be longer than 67 characters with the TLD extension, or contain punctuation or symbols (hyphens are OK, so long as they aren't at the beginning or end). Most registrars will not blink an eye at the raunchiest name you can dish up, but will not register obviously restricted terms such as NASA or Red Cross.
It will cost you something like $20-$50 a year to register your name. The process takes only a few minutes online or on the phone, and is quite painless, although you will want to read the fine print, particularly with regard to hosting. Cheaper is not always better-there's something to be said for a registrar's good reputation and stability, 24/7 free tech support, price structures and special promotions vary.
An Important Business Decision
The name of your Web site is obviously very important-it's the most visible part your corporate identity, should speak volumes to surfers and stick in their minds, and is indexed by the search engines. One of the most serious drawbacks to most free hosting arrangements is that you cannot use your own domain name. Domain names are valuable intellectual property. So important that some have been trademarked, people have bought up domain names on spec just like pork bellies to sell at a profit later, and there is an active aftermarket-including online auctions-for names. A really good domain name can fetch $10,000 or much more in some cases. GreatDomains (www.greatdomains.com) is an example of a company that buys, sells, and appraises domain names.
Companies often register dozens of variants on their name to protect it. What if you had registered a good name like klixxx.com and built a business around it-wouldn't you think about the implications of someone scooping hotklixxx.com, klixxx.biz, or a similar variant? And you can think of it as an investment rather than a straight cost, too-apart from protecting one of your most valuable assets, you might use the variant yourself some day, or eventually sell it. In the meantime, it's relatively cheap insurance to protect your brand and an intellectual property asset.
If you register a variant, such as mysite.net, you can easily, inexpensively and transparently forward surfers from that domain (you don't need an actual site on it) to your active mysite.com. Registering the .net and other domains also prevents a competitor from doing so.
But, the bottom line is that when a domain name is "taken" someone else
has it, and may or may not give it up some day, forget to renew it, or be willing to sell it in the meantime. And, with 30+ million Internet domain names issued so far, maybe all the best ones are already gone?
All the Best Names Are Gone
Not. Certainly, a lot of good ones, especially in .com, have been spoken for. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for something like a johnsmith895@hotmail.com address. You are a creative adult webmaster with a fertile imagination. And there are some specific strategies that you can leverage to dream up a good domain name.
One that probably can't be recommended is to use a top level domain other than .com if you can avoid it. A good name like hotsex.com may be registered, while hotsex.net may still be available. But there are several reasons why using another top level domain isn't the wisest strategy:
- .com is what users expect, and
will type almost automatically.
It's currently the domain of
choice.
- Whoever owns hotsex.com
probably already registered
hotsex.net too, as a precaution
against people like you.
- If they didn't, then your traffic is
going to get mixed up. This
could be a short term gain but
borders on cheating, and doesn't
help establish the distinctive
brand identity you want for
your site.
- Opting for a less common top
level domain such as .org or .biz
is just taking you further away
from the mainstream adult
industry. Same with a country
code like .ws or .nu.
- There are still lots of other
names, and one might (a) be
even better, or (b) not seem as
good but become associated with
one of the best adult sites on the
Web (yours!).
But don't take that absolutely to heart. How does voyeur.tv sound as a domain name, although it's probably already been taken? It might include an obscure country code for a small Pacific Island nation, but is obviously a good name, one that surfers wouldn't forget or mistype, and would characterize an appropriate site very well. Same with lookat.us. Similarly, quebecgirls.ca or commiecuties.ru could make sense. And if your baby finally doesn't make it, a good name can still be sold for a tidy profit.
Part 2 - Legal Perils
|
Printer
Friendly Version